مقاله سال ۲۰۱۶

Over the past decade a growing number of studies have identi- fied design as a primary driver of innovation (see, e.g., Gemser and Leenders, 2001; Chiva and Alegre, 2009; Talke et al., 2009; Verganti, 2009; D’Ippolito et al., 2014; Moultrie and Livesey, 2014). Research findings show how the integration of design within new product development (NPD) can positively affect the financial performance of a company as well as its corporate identity and brand (Beverland, 2005; Ravasi and Stigliani, 2012). However, despite studies, which claimed that design is acquiring a new ‘prominent position’ in the NPD process (Perks et al., 2005; Noble and Kumar, 2010), design is still often perceived as ‘just one of several inputs’ (Goffin and Micheli, 2010) and a late stage add-on (Brown, 2008).

Research has also shown that there are several barriers to introducing design in NPD. While there is evidence that involving designers at different stages of the NPD process and using multifunctional teams in NPD positively impacts performance (Sarin, 2009), tensions among functions still exist (Beverland, 2005; De Clercq et al., 2011). Such tensions arise for several reasons, including divergences between designers’ and managers’ perspectives and goals, conflicts between marketers’ and designers’ priorities and ways of working, and cultural barriers related to language and designers’ self-image (Micheli et al., 2012). The application of management systems and formal product development processes has been suggested as a possible way to reduce tensions and introduce designmore effectively in NPD (De Luca andAtuahene-Gima, 2007).

Other studies have considered the different roles design could play in NPD (Veryzer, 1995; Goffin and Micheli, 2010). For example, Perks et al. (2005) empirically derived a taxonomy of design roles in NPD, differentiating among designers as functional specialists, members of multi-functional teams, and process leaders. In their study of UK manufacturing companies,these authors found that the roles the design function and designers adopt or are allocated substantially determine their influence and contribution to the NPD process (see also Beverland and Farrelly, 2007). Yet, evidence—particularly quantitative—is still lacking.